IBJJF Decoded

This thread is for the purpose of laying out and consolidating the information necessary to understand the extremely labyrinthine history, structure and misadventures of the organization known as the International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation, in advance of the proverbial **** hitting the fan. There is a lot going on, and a lot more will be coming to light in the coming months.

The Villain and I have been working on this story, in conjunction with various individuals in the BJJ community for most of 2013. There have been several threads along the way detailing different parts of the investigation, and I will link them all here. There are also several threads detailing various actions of the IBJJF which The Villain has been tracking, and I will ask him to add them to this thread tomorrow.

I hope that you will take the time to read all 3 parts. For those who can not, it explains how the IBJJF

(1) is a US corporation, virtually indistinguishable from the corporation that constitutes Gracie Barra
(2) is not the legitimate international governing body for the sport of Brailian Jiu-Jitsu
(3) was originally founded by people heavily involved in drug trafficking, and eventually co-opted by Carlos Gracie, Jr

On the same day, The Villain (as os3y3ris) posted this long thread detailing his experience with Carlos, jr and the attempt to extort thousands of dollars from him before he would recognize his BB promotion.

The original post was deleted, but I have it cached. It read, in full:

Originally Posted by os3y3ris

"Be very careful dealing with the IBJJF. You can lose thousands of dollars, your rank, or your school:IBJJF Corruption

In 2010 the Carlos Gracie Jr led IBJJF instituted its belt registration system for black belts. In 2012, they instituted the same system for brown belts. The effects of this policy were severe. Through the use of drop down menus, registration procedures, signature requirements, membership requirements and other red tape, the Federation essentially forced instructors into expensive, long term contracts for which they provide no goods or services. Those who failed to comply were stripped of their ranks and forced out of the competition circuits. This removed many talented grapplers from the mats, conned people out of thousands, separated instructors and students, and costs others their ranks. It also put many high ranking grapplers in position to sell rank to those undeserving, and to price gouge legitimate grapplers.

The most visible example of the effects of this policy is the incident involving Sam Osman’s performance at Pan Ams :

In essence, Sam Osman, promoted by a second degree black belt to black belt, entered an IBJJF tournament where he was told by officials that he was not recognized as a black belt. Why not? It seems that his instructor was uncertified. Bullshido investigators called Schilling to find out what went wrong. According to Schilling, the signature policy represented a conflict of interests. How is one to ask their direct competition for signatures, many of which require free labor or large sums of money? Essentially, if he wishes to retain his independence, those degrees cannot be earned, only bought.

Let’s take a look at some of these applications, all of which can be found at ibjjf.org:

By the time you’re properly registered with the IBJJF, you’ll have signed your assets and autonomy over numerous times, both explicitly and implicitly. Timelines make things even more fun. Some may wish to side step the bureaucracy and clarify this process by dealing with actual humans.

Unfortunately, we’ve reached the point where the black belt is for sale. Direct and in person, without any testing procedures or evaluation, an IBJJF belt with no strings attached allegedly goes for between $2,000 and $4,000. Because this deal is only available at the highest levels of the IBJJF, and the alternative paperwork is restrictive, you can easily find yourself, your students and your team banned from the Federation for refusing to pay a fee for which no goods and services are rendered, or refusal to sign your academy over. Sources also allege that members of Gracie Barra, also led by Carlos Gracie Jr. are selling ranks themselves.

Are you banned? You might be banned from the Federation and not even know it. If your instructor is not on this list or the drop down menu, you will have trouble with the Federation at brown belt, black belt, between belts and when being awarded degrees:

That brown belt is gonna cost your instructor a lot of money. Maybe you should switch schools. After all, if the guy really knew jiujitsu, he’d be certified, right? Let’s follow a local champion grappler though his certification process outside of the Federation:

On page 5 I start laying out the details of the IBJJF corporation, it's owners, lack of physical address, lack of working telephone, etc. It develops over the course of the thread, in parallel with The Villain's development of the workings of the shakedown scam, and how it has been worked on numerous other browns-ready-to-promote. Its a long read as well, but definitely critical if you want to follow this story as it unfolds.

At this point you should be getting the picture that the IBJJF and Gracie Barra are intertwined financially to the point that it becomes difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. In the midst of all this the bomb was dropped that GB is the subject of a class action lawsuit from its affiliates involving damages in the tens of millions of dollars.

The third and final piece of all this involves the various BJJ rape scandals that rocked the community this year. The reprehensible actions of members of Team Lloyd Irvin, along with the knowledge that similar scandals are waiting to break in several other large teams, has lead numerous parties to quietly begin calling for the IBJJF to get in line with the 3 big US Judo NGB's, and begin background checking all their coaches and advanced athletes. Sources inside the BJJ community have indicated that the resistance to this completely common sense, and absolutely necessary measure is that too many well placed persons within the IBJJF and Gracie Barra organizations are in this country illegally, and would be exposed if subjected to background checks.

As the court cases, and public statements from BJJ instructors start coming to light, this is the context you will need to understand, and perhaps contribute to the investigations that follow.

Last edited by Matt Phillips; 12/09/2013 12:29am at .

Now darkness comes; you don't know if the whales are coming. - Royce Gracie

Sources inside the BJJ community have indicated that the resistance to this completely common sense, and absolutely necessary measure is that too many well placed persons within the IBJJF and Gracie Barra organizations are in this country illegally, and would be exposed if subjected to background checks.

This alone speaks volumes Matt.

Wondering if RICO applies in any way, given the history of extortion exhibited by the GB group?

Matt, maybe I just need more coffee, but the thread you have linked in post 1 only seems to have 2 parts, and doesn't say anything about drug trafficking.

Also I think this thread would be made a lot stronger by making the executive summery a little more detailed. Eg, one extra line to say why is the IBJJF being a for profit a Bad Thing. Also maybe mention that they have no official policy for promotions (which I think you said in the linked thread.)

Matt, maybe I just need more coffee, but the thread you have linked in post 1 only seems to have 2 parts, and doesn't say anything about drug trafficking.

Also I think this thread would be made a lot stronger by making the executive summery a little more detailed. Eg, one extra line to say why is the IBJJF being a for profit a Bad Thing. Also maybe mention that they have no official policy for promotions (which I think you said in the linked thread.)

I am reprinting two of my posts from the os3y3ris thread here which summarize the issues involved with the IBJJF being a for-profit venture:

===

Here are a few of the things that caused me to raise an eyebrow when I first looked at this organization:

*They give the impression of being a Brazilian organization, sharing the same government endorsement as the CBJJ, when in fact they are a US for-profit corporation that happens to be owned by the CBJJ president.

*They give the impression of being the World Governing Body for the sport of Jiu-Jitsu that sits over the National Governing Body of Brazil (CBJJ), when in fact they are a private venture that does not conform to the standards for WBGs governing other international amateur sports (IJF, FIAS, FILA, etc).

*The IBJJF and USBJJF are private corporations owned by the people running one of the sports dominant teams. FIFA, for example, is not owned by the captain of Manchester United (or anyone at all for that matter), and holy hell would break out if such a thing were to happen.

*Dispite cultivating an appearence of being the National Governing Body for the US, the USBJJF is privately owned and run by Gracie Barra's Andre Fernandes, and is not comparable to the NGBs for other US grappling sports, or Brazil's CBJJ in any meaningful way. There is, for example, no US national team, or motive for having one.

*Both the IBJJF and the USBJJF collect very substantial amounts of money from just the two big touraments alone, but show no evidence of a program of reinvestment in the growth or practice of the sport, as is uniformly the norm for sport world and national governing bodies.

**The public record indicates that the USBJJF has no board of directors, no officers, no physical address, no by-laws, no charter, and no telephone.

**The public record indicates that the IBJJF has no board of directors, no officers, no physical address, no by-laws, no charter, and no telephone.

===

For the record, these are the world's recognized international amateur combat sports, and their associated World Governing Bodies. I encourage you to have a look at them, their activities, and the standards they are held to by GAISF/SportAccord before granting Full Membership (. You will never see BJJ accepted at the Commonwealth Games, World Games, World University Games, or any other high profile international, multi-sport event (including the Olympic Games) until the sport is run for the benefit of Humanity, and not the personal interest of Gracie Barra and it's leadership.
===

In short, the very first requirement asked of a new sport offered up for membership in the WGB for all amateur sports is that the governing body of the sport be a not-for-profit organization.

Since we last addressed this issue, more info has come to light regarding the issue of BJJ corruption. Two major issues have been exposed:

First, the financial motives of the IBJJF in their ranking scheme has been confirmed ABOVE the black belt level, with a red and black speaking on record about this matter. That letter will be posted in full at the end of this post.

Second, financial improprieties including tax evasion have been brought to light as well by the same source. With immigration being used for tax evasion, that brings up another issue, that of the flow of people.

Our investigation has turned up witnesses that acknowledge writing immigration letters based on the same ranks that are now up for sale. Even more disturbing, is the apparent coercion of individuals in possession of ranks linked to visas to participate in the financial schemes of the IBJJF upon penalty of losing said rank/visa.

Letter from Master Fabio Santos on February 28, 2013. To All Jiu Jitsu Enthusiasts: My responsibility as a 7th Degree Red and Black Belt is to protect the integrity of the real Gracie Jiu Jitsu and to warn you about imitators. If you are just starting out in Jiu Jitsu or have been practicing awhile, I recommend reading or learning about our history and what makes Gracie Jiu Jitsu an effective martial art. When you choose a Jiu Jitsu school, there are certain criteria that the school must meet: 1. There needs to be a full time certified black belt as head instructor. 2. The only person that may promote anyone is a recognized Black belt. 3. Beware of McDojos, too many of these schools are creating chaos with gimmicks. Gracie Jiu Jitsu does not have tests for belts or allow payment for stripes. 4. Grand Master Carlos and Hélio Gracie created the belt system for children and adults. Each stripe and belt has unique value. There should not be any deviations, additions or subtractions. Belts are not guaranteed; they are a representation of ones competence both mentally and physically. They are not a representation of the students’ monetary wealth. 5. Brown and Purple belts can be good assistants but should be actively working and focusing on earning their Black belt. 6. Self defense is the corner stone of martial arts. Purely focusing on Sport Jiu Jitsu is a mistake. Self-defense needs to be an integral part of every school teaching Gracie Jiu Jitsu. 7. Schools should be actively involved in certified tournaments and competitions. Competition like live sparring allows your technique to evolve. Both are an important component of Jiu Jitsu and should not be overlooked. 8. Training with a GI is imperative. Every world champion spends significant time training in the GI. This is not by chance. The GI forces you to sharpen your technique and be aware of the details that will make you successful. Now looking at Jiu Jitsu in general. Grand Master Carlos and Hélio Gracie (the founders of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) created the rules for competition. They were simple: two points for a take down or sweep, three points for passing the guard and four points for mounting or taking the back. The current rules leave room for confusion and creates difficult positions for referees and forces them to make needlessly controversial decisions. The current rules need to be evaluated and simplified. This should only be done by high ranking members of the Gracie family who have twenty to thirty years of experience in conducting the instruction and competitions. Others are degrading the efficiency of the Jiu Jitsu technique. They enter fighting events claiming to be Jiu Jitsu practitioners, after training only a little or not training enough. Win, lose or draw their technique, or lack of it, makes Jiu Jitsu look ineffective. This form of incompetence only weakens our art. Some instructors are ruining the reputation of the art, by viewing the student only as a fountain of money. They come to the United States to teach. After recruiting students and taking their money they proceed to move back and forth between Brazil and United States, ongoing, without respecting their obligations as a business owner or even paying taxes, and in some cases they even abandon their students. This destroys the students’ loyalty, and abrogates the responsibility and commitment that owning a truly qualified Jiu Jitsu school demands. Even the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) is contributing to the diminishment of the integrity of the art by elevating its financial interest over the quality of instruction by accepting changes to the original belt system established by the founders of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and altering the traditional form of Jiu Jitsu instruction. This is done out of greed, pressure from parents and impatient students that think the process required to get a belt promotion is taking too long! The attitude of the IBJJF is self-serving and not helpful to students or schools, in that it undermines a reputation that has taken decades to create. Furthermore, while it exerts a force of authority and governance to the sport here, it rarely contributes to the support, when needed, by its members. That is why tradition and integrity are important. Tradition strengthens the real martial art where all is earned. The Professor must take the time to know the students character to award them a Black Belt. Some will never have the character to earn this however; it can motivate others to change both mentally and physically to become a better person. If we lose our tradition we lose everything. Greed, complication, inefficiency and breaking tradition is weakening the REAL JIU JITSU! SAY NO TO THE CORRUPTION OF JIU JITSU!! Professor Fabio Santos 7th Degree Red and Black Belt Student of Rolls and Rickson Gracie

I just want to highlight one part of Professor Santos' letter that will have increased importance in the future:

Some instructors are ruining the reputation of the art, by viewing the student only as a fountain of money. They come to the United States to teach. After recruiting students and taking their money they proceed to move back and forth between Brazil and United States, ongoing, without respecting their obligations as a business owner or even paying taxes, and in some cases they even abandon their students.

Now darkness comes; you don't know if the whales are coming. - Royce Gracie

Â« on: May 26, 2011, 09:06:35 PM Â»
It appears that when I registered for Worlds online, someone charged over $800 to my account from California ATM's near LA and Long Beach.

Check your account charges and balances. And if IBJJF is responsible for not properly securing there registration, they should suffer by losing money from their online registrars, which might cause their demise.

Examination of bank statements reflecting transactions with the IBJJF and USBJJF show the following information: US Jiu-jitsu Federation, (949) 678-1289. This number originally showed as disconnected and has now been reassigned to an unrelated party.

Last edited by Matt Phillips; 12/09/2013 4:35pm at .

Now darkness comes; you don't know if the whales are coming. - Royce Gracie